Our bodies are complex. Many of our day to day habits can affect us in areas of our lives we’d never expect. For example, I have seasonal eczema which is exacerbated by all soap products and even certain temperatures of water. Now, I value cleanliness… I never once thought that my soap usage was actually doing more harm than good. But it was. I took it upon myself to recalibrate my relationship with soap based products. I use far fewer soap products these days. My eczema has been nearly nonexistent for two years now. I also save money now, because I’m not buying “conditioning” products which were developed to undo the “damage” soap can do to the skin.

This is all to say: you may have food allergies that you’re unaware of. Those food allergies could be causing problematic weight-gain, and associated issues like bloating and other gastrointestinal problems. A more apt analogy is how seasonal allergies release histamine in our bodies, thus making breathing hard due to swelling. Many food allergies lead to issues like bloating and swelling, which only exacerbate weight gain.

Many food allergies lead to issues like bloating and swelling, which only exacerbate weight gain.

Another example of weight gain caused by foods is the relationship between cortisol and fat storage. Cortisol is a stress hormone which makes your body want to store fat. Cortisol is found in dairy products, and if you’re sensitive to it, you may find yourself gaining weight from it. This is only made worse by the fact that our bodies produce cortisol when we are stressed. So let’s say you consume way too much dairy for your body’s own good. You may have no idea that your body is sensitive to the effects of cortisol found in milk. So you continue to consume dairy products. Your body will be storing fat, you will see this but have no idea why. This cortisol-created-confusion caused from consuming dairy will stress you out. Understandably so. But that unchecked stress will only cause more cortisol in your body, thus increasing your body’s fat retention.

We test our patients to discover what food allergies they have. It is essential to cut foods that are harmful to your body out of your diet. Doing so will put a stop to the symptoms you’re experiencing. Our purpose, and passion, is to help you live the best life you can — and your health is at the center of that. We’re committed to helping you learn how to not simply diet (we don’t like “diets”) but to actually make a lifestyle change that will positively impact your quality of life.